The Software Center of Excellence offers robust support for tech startups at every stage of their journey.

Specialized Partners

Support Across Sectors

Bounce supports capital readiness through the Northeast Ohio Student Venture Fund and offers hands-on workshops designed for founders who are looking to expand their skills and knowledge to scale their businesses effectively, these interactive and hands-on workshops allow founders to engage with subject matter experts and are held the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month.

MAGNET supports hard tech startups with tailored resources for manufactured products, including prototyping, engineering expertise, operations assistance, and early-stage funding connections. MAGNET also runs Mspire, an annual manufacturing pitch competition for support services, and the Advanced Manufacturing Fund, an early-stage investment fund.

The Ohio Aerospace Institute (OAI), an affiliate of Parallax Advanced Research, provides guidance to founders applying to the Ohio Third Frontier’s Technology Validation and Startup Fund (TVSF) and federal SBIR/STTR grants, specializing in working closely with deep tech startups to navigate key steps in the commercialization process.

UARF introduces the Business Model Canvas through Starting Line, its five-step, self-directed pre-accelerator program. For teams seeking to further validate ideas and better understand customer needs, UARF offers the NSF-funded I-Corps Program and Advanced Customer Discovery, which are six-week, online programs. UARF’s i-Pitch competition runs three times annually, providing recent I-Corps graduates the opportunity to pitch and compete for funding.

SUPPORT AT EVERY STAGE OF THE JOURNEY

Ideation: Exploring and shaping an idea

YBI Startups 101

Introductory sessions designed to guide students and early-stage founders through the basics of business creation, venture readiness, and regional resources.

YBI Shark Tank

A pitch event for early-stage startups, from ideation through Pre-Seed/Seed+, offering up to $50K in non-dilutive funding. The program helps founders strengthen their pitch materials, gain exposure through marketing and press, and connect with investors and potential customers.

YBI Early Stage Support

Guidance is provided with customer discovery and market research, using tools like TurboInnovate and Geoflow to identify customer needs, assess competitors, and uncover market opportunities, along with marketing, press, and advertising support to drive early lead generation.

Validation: Proving the Concept

YBI MVP Development

Founders can receive support developing and launching MVPs, including alpha/beta testing, customer validation, and post-launch review – all guided by experienced oversight to maintain quality while minimizing cost.

YBI Validation and Funding Assistance

Support for founders with product development, marketing, and legal. This can be paired with expert guidance to build investor-ready pitch decks, providing feedback and coaching to refine messaging and fundraising strategy.

Bounce Flywheel Continuum of Software Support

Software startups from validation through Series A are supported with tailored guidance focused on setting milestones, driving traction, selling and iterating, and fundraising. Founders work closely with experienced EIRs – many with deep technical and product expertise – to build, grow, and prepare for investment. 79% of Bounce software clients onboarded paid pilots, beta users, or new customer contracts last year.

Additional programs in this stage: YBI Shark Tank, YBI Early Stage Support

Traction: Early customers and measurable momentum

Bounce Revenue & Customer Acquisition

Through the Flywheel program, Bounce provides help for B2B SaaS founders moving from early revenue to scalable growth, offering targeted advising and services to refine pricing, build a repeatable sales pipeline, and strengthen go-to-market strategy.

Bounce Sales Ignition

In this hands-on, collaborative 4-week cohort program, founders actively use LinkedIn to generate sales leads, create prospect engagement questions and a pitch, and lead and control the sales process. This program has a bias for action and allows founders to learn from one another under the guidance of an entrepreneur-in-residence who has grown and scaled sales at multiple startups.

JumpStart's Burton D. Morgan Mentoring Program

Participants receive ongoing guidance from dedicated mentors who help them prepare for JumpStart’s Trailblazer, other accelerator programs, or funding. This support is geared towards founders with traction in need of additional diligence and growth before raising.

Additional programs in this stage: Bounce Flywheel Continuum of Software Support, YBI Shark Tank, YBI MVP Development, YBI Validation and Funding Assistance

Pre-Seed to Seed+: Securing early funding to scale

JumpStart Trailblazer Software Accelerator

This program is for pre-seed and seed-stage SaaS startups with an MVP and market validation offering access to $50K in expert services, along with mentorship and a proven curriculum aimed at refining go-to-market strategies, advancing product development, and preparing for venture capital. The five-month Trailblazer program culminates in an investor showcase.

Additional programs in this stage: Bounce Flywheel Continuum of Software Support, Bounce Revenue & Customer Acquisition, JumpStart’s Burton D. Morgan Mentoring Program, YBI Shark Tank, YBI Validation and Funding Assistance

Series A: Accelerating growth with investment

Additional programs in this stage: Bounce Flywheel Continuum of Software Support, JumpStart’s Burton D. Morgan Mentoring Program

Don’t Know Where to Begin? Start Here.

Every entrepreneur starts somewhere, and you don’t have to figure it out on your own. Fill out the form below and we’ll connect you with a Regional Startup Ambassador who can help you find the right resources, programs, and next steps.